Peripheral management device for virtual game interaction

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a peripheral management device may have a controller configured to communicate with a gaming machine and a portable electronic device. The controller may be configured to: (i) receive a peripheral data packet from a gaming machine processor, the peripheral data packet including at least one command; (ii) determine whether to process the peripheral data packet on at least one peripheral device of the gaming machine or at least one virtual peripheral device of the portable electronic device; (iii) generate an instructional data packet for the at least one virtual peripheral device if the peripheral data packet is determined to be processed on the at least one virtual peripheral device; and (iv) transmit the instructional data packet to the portable electronic device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.12/945,889, filed Nov. 14, 2010, and entitled “PERIPHERAL MANAGEMENTDEVICE FOR VIRTUAL GAME INTERACTION,” which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to gaming machines, andparticularly to playing a gaming of chance on a gaming machine. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to using a portableelectronic device to play a game of chance on a gaming machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Portable electronic devices represent an alternative means to desktopcomputers to allow users to more conveniently interact with a variety ofmultimedia services. For example, many portable electronic devices maybe configured to allow for the user to interact with multimediaservices, messaging services, internet browsing services, telephoneservices, and the like. Furthermore, the software of portable electronicdevice may be configured to be updated so as allow for the presentationof additional multimedia services or applications. Portable electronicdevices may also be configured to have wireless transmission andreceiving capabilities so as to permit communication with one or moreother sources.

Gaming machines may comprise any number of peripheral devices associatedwith the act of playing a game of chance. For example, peripheraldevices such as a display, bill acceptor, keypad, ticket printer, anduser input switches may be used to play a game of chance. Gamingestablishments are always looking for new ways and/or gaming options toattract players to increase profits. However, presenting new services ongaming machines may be costly, time-consuming, and generally undesirablefor many casinos owners for numerous reasons such as regulatoryrequirements, maintenance, and the like.

SUMMARY

The disclosure relates to a system for communicating information betweena gaming machine and a portable electronic device using a peripheralmanagement device. In one embodiment, a peripheral management device mayhave a controller configured to communicate with a gaming machine and aportable electronic device. The controller may be configured to: (i)receive a peripheral data packet from a gaming machine processor, theperipheral data packet including at least one command; (ii) determinewhether to process the peripheral data packet on at least one peripheraldevice of the gaming machine or at least one virtual peripheral deviceof the portable electronic device; (iii) generate an instructional datapacket for the at least one virtual peripheral device if the peripheraldata packet is determined to be processed on the at least one virtualperipheral device; and (iv) transmit the instructional data packet tothe portable electronic device.

In another embodiment, a system for communicating information between agaming machine and a portable electronic device may have: (i) a gamingmachine including at least one gaming machine processor, the at leastone gaming machine processor configured to communicate with at least oneof a plurality of peripheral devices on the gaming machine; (ii) aportable electronic device including at least one controller, the atleast one controller configured to control at least one virtualperipheral device of the portable electronic device; and (iii) aperipheral controller configured to communicate with the gaming machineand the portable electronic device. The peripheral controller may beconfigured to receive a peripheral data packet from the gaming machineprocessor, the peripheral data packet including at least one command,determine whether to process the peripheral data packet on the least oneperipheral device or the at least one virtual peripheral device,generate an instructional data packet for the at least one virtualperipheral device if the peripheral data packet is determined to beprocessed on the at least one virtual peripheral device, and transmitthe instructional data packet to the portable electronic device.

The above and other features will be presented in more detail in thefollowing detailed description and the associated figures. Other aspectsand advantages will become apparent from the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more example embodimentsand, together with the description of example embodiments, serve toexplain the principles and implementations.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a gaming system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example gaming machine.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a gaming machine.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a peripheral managementdevice.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example block diagram of a portable electronicdevice.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for communicatinginformation and/or data between a gaming machine and a portableelectronic device.

FIGS. 7A-7J illustrate example graphical user interfaces of a portableelectronic device used to communicate with a gaming machine.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for authenticating a userin accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method forcommunicating at least one user request to a gaming machine using aperipheral management device.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method to transferfunds to a gaming machine from a portable electronic device.

FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate example graphical user interfaces of a portableelectronic device.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method to generate areceipt using a portable electronic device.

FIGS. 13A-13D illustrate example graphical user interfaces to generate areceipt using a portable electronic device.

DESCRIPTION

Embodiments are described herein in the context of a peripheralmanagement device for virtual game interaction. The following detaileddescription is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any waylimiting. Other embodiments will readily suggest themselves to suchskilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference willnow be made in detail to implementations as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be usedthroughout the drawings and the following detailed description to referto the same or like parts.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theimplementations described herein are shown and described. It will, ofcourse, be appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madein order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliancewith application- and business-related constraints, and that thesespecific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from onedeveloper to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such adevelopment effort might be complex and time-consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the components, processsteps, and/or data structures may be implemented using various types ofoperating systems, computing platforms, computer programs, and/orgeneral purpose machines. In addition, those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that devices of a less general purpose nature, suchas hardwired devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, may alsobe used without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventiveconcepts disclosed herein.

A system, method, and apparatus for communicating information between agaming machine and a portable electronic device using a peripheralmanagement device are described. In one embodiment, a gaming machine isable to be augmented by a remote peripheral device. The remoteperipheral device can wirelessly communicate with the gaming machine.For example, a portable computing device, such as a mobile phone, tabletcomputer, personal digital assistant, and the like, can function as anexternal peripheral device for the gaming machine. As a result, thegaming environment for a game of chance played on the gaming machine canbe extended (at least in part) to a player's portable computing device.Such a gaming environment allows the portable computing device to serveas one or more of a display, input device, storage device, and the like.

In another embodiment, a peripheral management device may be used as anintermediary device between the gaming machine and the remote peripheraldevice to allow a player to play a game of chance on the gaming machine.The peripheral management device may receive peripheral bound data andbe configured to determine where to transmit the peripheral bound data.In other words, the peripheral management device may be configured todetermine whether to transmit the peripheral bound data to a remotevirtual peripheral device on the portable electronic device or to localperipheral devices on the gaming machine.

In use, many players desire to play on multiple machines. However, thegaming machines must be neighboring machines such as a machine to theright and/or left of the player since the player must be near in orderto press the input buttons and/or switches, insert money, and performany other gaming function. By using a remote peripheral device, such asa portable electronic device, to play a gaming of chance on a gamingmachine, the player may have the freedom to play other gaming machinesand not just gaming machines neighboring the gaming machine the playerdesires to play. For example, the player may want to play a game ofchance on gaming machine A as well as gaming machine B. However, gamingmachine B may be four gaming machines away from gaming machine A. Thus,by using the remote peripheral device to play the gaming of chance ongaming machine A, the player can also play the gaming of chance ongaming machine B. This provides a player the freedom to play a game ofchance on any gaming machine without having any physical limitations.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a gaming system. System 100includes at least one gaming machine 108 having a peripheral managementdevice 110. Gaming machine 108 may be configured to communicate with aplurality of servers such as a player tracking server 102,authentication server 116, and a location server 104 via network 106.Although illustrated with three servers, this is not intended to belimiting as gaming machine 108 may be configured to communicate with anynumber of servers via network 106 such as an awards server, accountingserver, financial server, games server, and the like. The gaming machine108 may be connected to network 106 via any wired or wireless methodssuch as universal serial bus, Ethernet, Serial Advanced TechnologyAttachment (SATA), 3rd Generation (“3G”) wireless technology, 4thGeneration (“4G”) wireless technology, Fire Wire, WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (“WiMax”), IEEE 802.11 technology,Near-Field Magnetic Network, radio frequency, and the like.

Gaming machine 108 may be configured to also communicate with peripheralmanagement device 110 via any wired or wireless methods. Peripheralmanagement device 110 may have a wireless interface 120 configured tocommunicate with a portable computing device or a portable electronicdevice 114. Peripheral management device 110 may be used as anintermediary device between the gaming machine 108 and the portableelectronic device 114 to allow a player to play a game of chance on thegaming machine 108. The peripheral management device 110 may receiveperipheral bound data (from the portable electronic device 114 and/orthe gaming machine 108) and determine where to transmit the peripheralbound data. In other words, the peripheral management device 110 may beconfigured to determine whether to transmit the peripheral bound data toa remote virtual peripheral device on the portable electronic device 114or to local peripheral devices on the gaming machine 108.

The peripheral management device 110 allows the gaming machine 108 to beaugmented by a remote peripheral device, such as the portable electronicdevice 114. The remote peripheral device 114 can wirelessly communicatewith the gaming machine 108. For example, a portable computing device114, such as a mobile phone, can function as an external peripheraldevice for the gaming machine 108. As a result, the gaming environmentfor a game of chance played on the gaming machine 108 can be extended(at least in part) to a player's portable computing device 114. Such agaming environment allows the portable computing device 114 to serve asone or more of a display, input device, storage device, and the like.

Portable electronic device 114 may be configured to communicate withgaming machine 108 via peripheral management device 110 to play a gameof chance on the gaming machine. In one embodiment, portable electronicdevice 114 may communicate with peripheral management device 100 viawireless interface 120. Wireless interface may be any known wirelessmethods or device such as a 3G wireless technology, 4G wirelesstechnology, Bluetooth, Wireless USB, Near-field magnetic, Fire Wire,WiMax, IEEE 802.11 technology, radio frequency, and the like.

In use, the portable electronic device 114 may receive a user inputrequest. The request may be any type of request, such as a request totransfer funds, print a receipt or ticket, dim the display, lower thevolume on the speaker, spin a reel, cash out, double down, and the like.The portable electronic device 114 may transmit the user request to theperipheral management device 110 via wireless interface 120. Peripheralmanagement device 110 may process the request (e.g. parse the userrequest) to determine what local peripheral device on the gaming machine108 the user would like to access. Each remote virtual peripheral deviceon the portable electronic device 114 may be associated with aperipheral device on the gaming machine 108. Thus, for example, if theuser request includes a request to dim a virtual display, the peripheralmanagement device may determine that the virtual display is associatedwith the display (e.g. display 208 as illustrated in FIG. 2) on thegaming machine 108. As such, the user request may be processed torequest access to the display on the gaming machine 108. In anotherexample, the peripheral management device may parse the user request todetermine that the user would like to lower the volume on the virtualspeakers. The peripheral management device 110 may determine that thevirtual speakers are associated with the speaker (e.g. speaker 214illustrated in FIG. 2) on the gaming machine 108. Thus, the user requestmay be processed to request access to the speaker on the gaming machine108.

The peripheral management device 110 may also modify, change, or editthe source and destination address of the user request. For example, thesource address may be changed to the peripheral device associated withthe virtual peripheral device and the destination address may be thegaming machine processor. Thus, the peripheral management device 110 mayroute the user request to a source destination as a local peripheraldevice. This permits for the seamless transfer of information or data tothe gaming machine processor from the portable electronic device 114. Inother words, peripheral management device acts as a context-sensitivesmart router of data from a source device to a destination device, andis invisible to the gaming machine processor.

The processed funds transfer request may then be transmitted to thegaming machine 108. The gaming machine 108 may determine whether totransmit a command and/or an acknowledgement. For example, the gamingmachine processor may determine that the user transferred a fund amountto play a game of chance on the gaming machine 108 which was received bythe bill acceptor. The gaming machine 108 may then transmit commandsand/or acknowledgements to at least one peripheral device of the gamingmachine 108 to allow the user to play the game of chance. For example,the gaming machine 108 may transmit a command to the display to presentthe fund amount on the display. In another example, the gaming machine108 may transmit an acknowledgment to the bill acceptor to display anacknowledgement message or fund amount on a display of the billacceptor. In another embodiment, the gaming machine 108 may instruct theuser input buttons or switches to activate and light up to indicate thatthe player may begin to play the game of chance.

The peripheral management device 110 may intercept the commands and/oracknowledgments from the gaming machine 108. The peripheral managementdevice 110 may then process the intercepted commands and/oracknowledgements by parsing the commands and/or acknowledgement todetermine where the commands and/or acknowledgments should betransmitted to. In other words, the peripheral management device 110 mayprocess the intercepted commands and/or acknowledgements to determinewhich remote virtual peripheral device on the portable electronic device114 the commands and/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to and todetermine which local peripheral device on the gaming machine 108 thecommands and/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to.

If the peripheral management device 110 determines that the commandsand/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to the portable electronicdevice 114, then the commands and/or acknowledgements may be transmittedto the portable electronic device 114. For example, if the transmissionis an acknowledgement acknowledging the transfer of funds, theperipheral management device 110 may determine that the acknowledgementmay be transmitted to the portable electronic device 114 to inform theuser of the successful transfer of funds. The acknowledgement may thenbe displayed on a display of the portable electronic device (e.g.display 1108 as illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11D).

If the peripheral management device 110 determines that the commandsand/or acknowledgements should not be transmitted to the portableelectronic device 114, the peripheral management device 110 maydetermine and identify whether the commands and/or acknowledgements maybe transmitted to the at least one peripheral device on the gamingmachine 108. For example, if the transmission is an acknowledgementacknowledging the transfer of funds, the peripheral management device110 may determine that the acknowledgement may be transmitted to theuser input buttons and/or switches. The user input buttons and/orswitches of the gaming machine 108 may then light up to indicate to theplayer that he may play the game of chance. In another example, theperipheral management device 110 may determine that the acknowledgementmay be transmitted to the display of the gaming machine 108 to indicateor display the amount of credits. Thus, if the peripheral managementdevice 110 determines and identifies that the commands and/oracknowledgements should be transmitted to at least one peripheral deviceon the gaming machine 108, the commands and/or acknowledgements may betransmitted to the identified at least one peripheral device on thegaming machine 108.

In one embodiment, player tracking server 102 may be configured tocollect player data as well as determine the location of a customerwithin a gaming environment. Player tracking sever 102 may have adatabase configured to store player tracking information such as name,games the player likes to play, accumulated and used points, number ofwins and losses, and the like. Player tracking server 102 may also beconfigured to store the location of all gaming machines within thegaming environment such that if a player inputs their player trackingcard in a gaming machine, the player's gaming activities as well as thelocation of the player may be tracked.

In another embodiment, if the player is an anonymous player, locationserver 104, may be used to locate the location of the player in thegaming environment. Location server 104 may include a databasecontaining the location of all gaming devices (stationary and mobilegaming devices) in the gaming environment. Furthermore, location server104 may be configured to locate players within the gaming environmentusing any known wireless location methods such as global positioningsystems (GPS), indoor WiFi triangulations, and the like. In oneembodiment, location server 104 may be configured to locate the positionof the player using the player's portable electronic device 114 and thelocation of the nearest gaming machine 108. In another embodiment, thelocation server 104 may be configured to locate the player in the gamingenvironment using only the player's portable electronic device 114.

The authentication sever 116 may be configured to authenticate or verifythe player, gaming machine, and/or a portable electronic device via anyknown authentication means such as passwords and identification,biometric signatures, encryption keys, and the like. For example, toauthenticate the player, the authentication server 116 may be configuredto receive a username and password inputted via a player trackingkeyboard (illustrated in FIG. 2B) on the gaming machine 108. Theauthentication server 116 may then compare the received username andpassword to a saved username and password stored in the authenticationserver 118. If the received and saved username and password are thesame, then the player is authenticated.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example gaming machine. Thegaming machine 200 may include a main cabinet 202. The main cabinet 202may include a main door 204, which may be configured to open to provideaccess to the interior of the gaming machine. The main door 204 may havea plurality of peripheral devices. The plurality of peripheral devicesmay include at least one button or switch 206 configured to receiveplayer input or command, a monitor 208, a secondary display 212, speaker214, a ticket printer 216, a keypad 218 for entering player trackinginformation, a player tracking device 220, a coin acceptor 226, and abill acceptor 228. The gaming machine 200 may be configured to display agame of chance on monitor 208 and/or secondary display 212. The game ofchance may be any game of chance, including but not limited to, videopoker, video blackjack, video keno, video slot games, and any othertheme.

Player inputs may be detected from the at least one button or switch206. When selected, the gaming machine may detect the input and transmitthe input to the gaming machine processor. For example, the button 206may be used to increase or decrease a betting amount. In anotherembodiment, monitor 208 may be a touch screen display such that the usermay input selections via display 208. Monitor 208 may be, for example,one of a cathode ray tube, high resolution flat-panel liquid crystaldisplay (“LCD”), a plasma display, a light-emitting diode (“LED”)display, or any other monitor and/or display configured to presentinformation and/or allow the user to play a game of chance. The videodisplay monitor 208 may include one or more display windows to allow formultiple games or multiple services to be provided simultaneously to auser.

The top box 210 may be designed to house a plurality of peripheraldevices, including but not limited to the secondary display 212 andspeakers 214. During certain gaming events, the gaming machine 200 maybe configured to display a plurality of visual and auditory effects thatare perceivable by the user. Such visual effects may be displayed viathe video display monitor 208 and the secondary display 212. Theplurality of auditory and visual effects may serve to enhance the user'sexperience during game play. The secondary display 212 may be, forexample, a cathode ray tube, high resolution flat-panel LCD, a plasmadisplay, an LED display, or any other monitor and/or display configuredto present information and/or allow the user to play a game of chance.The secondary display 212 may be configured to present a bonus game,services, video player, tournaments, move times, or any otherinformation. Audio effects may be presented via the speakers 214.

The main door 204 may include the ticket printer 216 configured to printan electronically-readable ticket 224, keypad 218 for entering playertracking information, the player tracking device 220, the coin tray 222,the coin acceptor 226, and the bill acceptor 228. Following a completionof a gaming session, the ticket printer 216 may be configured to printan electronically-readable ticket 224. The electronically-readableticket 224 provides one means of dispensing currency to the player whenthey are ready to “cash out”. The electronically-readable ticket 224 mayalso include information relating to the gaming session, including acash-out amount, a validation number, a gaming venue, a print date andtime, gaming machine identification (ID) number, or any other relevantcontent.

The surface of the electronically-readable ticket 224 may also include abar code. When the electronically-readable ticket 224 is inserted into agaming machine, the bar code may be read and processed by another gamingmachine so as to derive relevant content related to a prior gamingsession. The electronically-readable ticket 224 may be either acceptedby the bill acceptor 228 so as to add previously accumulated credits ofanother gaming machine to the existing credits or theelectronically-readable ticket 224 may be exchanged for cash. The billacceptor 228 may be configured to accept cash of a variety of currencyor denomination as well as an electronically-readable ticket 224 havinga cash value.

The secondary display 210, the keypad 218, and the player trackingdevice 220 may, in conjunction, comprise a player tracking service toprovide for the accurate recording of information obtained during thegaming session. The player tracking service may display informationrelevant to the player's preferences as based on the recordedinformation on the secondary display 210. The player tracking servicemay be initiated when a magnetic striped card containing player trackinginformation is inserted into the player tracking device 220 and apersonal identification number (PIN) is entered using the keypad 218.During the player tracking session, commands made by the player may berecorded such as in a memory (e.g. non-volatile random access memory(NVRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM)) on the gaming machine,player tracking server, or in any other data storage device. Forexample, during the player tracking session, the player trackingsoftware may monitor the amount of time and activity that the playerspends at a particular gaming machine, derive timely and accuratemarketing information, and subsequently present commercializationopportunities based on that player's gaming preferences.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a gaming machine. Thegaming machine 300 may have a gaming machine processor 302 configured tocommunicate with a peripheral management device 304 via any wired orwireless method and/or device. Peripheral management device 304 may beconfigured to communicate with portable electronic device 308 and eachof the plurality of peripheral devices 306. Peripheral management device304 may be configured to communicate with portable electronic device 308via wireless interface 310 as discussed above. The plurality ofperipheral devices 306 may be any peripheral device as discussed abovewith reference to FIG. 2. For example, the at least one button or switch206, monitor 208, secondary display 212, speaker 214, ticket printer216, keypad 218 for entering player tracking information, a playertracking device 220, a coin acceptor 226, and bill acceptor 228 may beperipheral device 306. Although illustrated with specific peripheraldevices, this is not intended to be limiting as any other peripheraldevices may be used on a gaming machine, such as an informationaldisplay, camera, microphone, accelerometer, touchscreen, and the like.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a peripheral managementdevice. Peripheral management device 400 may include a peripheralcontroller 402 configured to communicate with memory 404 and a wirelessmodule 408. Wireless interface 408 may be configured to transmit andreceive instructional data packets or peripheral bound data. Wirelessinterface 408 may be any module capable of wireless transmission such as3G wireless technology, 4G wireless technology, Bluetooth, wirelessuniversal serial bus (USB), wireless Ultra-wideband (UWB), WiMAX, nearfield communication, radio frequency, and the like. In one embodiment,wireless communication module 408 may be configured to transmit andreceive peripheral bound data and/or information to and from a portableelectronic device as well as a gaming machine processor.

Peripheral management device may be used as an intermediary devicebetween the gaming machine and the remote peripheral device to allow aplayer to play a game of chance on the gaming machine. The peripheralmanagement device may receive peripheral bound data (from the portableelectronic device and/or the gaming machine processor) and determinewhere to transmit the peripheral bound data. In other words, theperipheral management device may be configured to determine whether totransmit the peripheral bound data to a remote virtual peripheral deviceon the portable electronic device or to local peripheral devices on thegaming machine.

The peripheral management device allows the gaming machine to beaugmented by a remote peripheral device, such as the portable electronicdevice. The remote peripheral device can wirelessly communicate with thegaming machine. For example, a portable computing device, such as amobile phone, can function as an external peripheral device for thegaming machine. As a result, the gaming environment for a game of chanceplayed on the gaming machine can be extended (at least in part) to aplayer's portable computing device. Such a gaming environment allows theportable computing device to serve as one or more of a display, inputdevice, storage device, and the like.

Memory 404 may be type of memory capable of storing data. Memory 408 maybe any type of memory such as DRAM, NVRAM, and the like. Memory may havea peripheral database 410 configured to store peripheral deviceinformation. In one embodiment, the peripheral database 410 may store atable associating the remote virtual peripheral device on the portableelectronic device to the local peripheral devices on the gaming machine.For example, the peripheral database 410 may associate the virtual “CashOut” button of the portable electronic device to the “Cash Out” buttonon the gaming machine. In another embodiment, the peripheral database410 may associate the virtual “Deal” button of the portable electronicdevice to the “Deal” button on the gaming machine.

In another embodiment, the peripheral database 410 may store a tableassociating a request or command from the portable electronic device toa local peripheral device on the gaming machine. For example, a requestto transfer money from the portable electronic device may be associatedwith the bill acceptor of the gaming machine. In another example, arequest to end a game session from the portable electronic device may beassociated with a “Cash Out” button on the gaming machine.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example block diagram of a portable electronicdevice. The portable electronic device 500 may be any type of portablecomputing device. For example, portable electronic device 500 may be acellular phone, portable media player, personal digital assistant (PDA),netbook, portable computer, electronic reader, and the like. Portableelectronic device 500 may have a processor 504, display 502, memory 508,at least one user button or switch 506, microphone 510 configured toreceive audio input, and a wireless communication module 514. Althoughillustrated with specific components, this is not intended to belimiting as portable electronic device 500 may have other componentssuch as an antenna, power source, speaker, camera, and the like.

Display 502 may be any type of display such as a touch screen display,LCD, plasma display, LED display, or any other monitor and/or displayconfigured to present information and/or allow the user to play a gameof chance. For example, display 502 may be configured to display aplurality of indicators (as discussed and illustrated in, for example,FIGS. 7, 11, and 13). In one embodiment, display 502 may include a touchscreen sensor such that the processor may be configured to detect a userselection of at least one of the indicators. In another embodiment,processor may be configured to detect a user selection of at least oneof the indicators from switches 506.

Each indicator may correspond to a virtual peripheral device, which maybe associated with a peripheral device on the gaming machine. Forexample, user selection of the “Cash Out” indicator may be associatedwith a virtual cash out button on the portable electronic device, whichmay be associated with the “Cash Out” button on the gaming machine. Inanother embodiment a “Spin Reel” indicator may be associated with avirtual spin button on the portable electronic device, which may beassociated with the “Spin” button on the gaming machine.

Portable electronic device 500 may have a memory 508 configured to storeany type of information, data, and/or software to play a game of chanceon a gaming machine and/or perform any other gaming functions such aschecking a player tracking account, transferring funds to play the gameof chance, and the like. Memory 508 may be any type of memory such asDRAM, NVRAM, Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FRAM), ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (E2PROM), and the like.

Wireless communication module 514 may be configured to transmit andreceive instructional data packets or peripheral bound data. Wirelesscommunication module 514 may be any module capable of wirelesstransmission such as 3G wireless technology, 4G wireless technology,Bluetooth, wireless USB, wireless UWB), WiMAX, near field communication,radio frequency, and the like. In one embodiment, wireless communicationmodule 514 may be configured to transmit and receive peripheral bounddata and/or information to and from peripheral management device (e.g.peripheral management device 110 illustrated in FIG. 1).

FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for communicatinginformation and/or data between a gaming machine and a portableelectronic device. The method 600 begins with the peripheral managementdevice receiving a peripheral data packet from a gaming machineprocessor at 602. The peripheral data packet may include at least onecommand and/or acknowledgement. In one embodiment, the peripheral datapacket may include at least one command and/or acknowledgement for atleast one peripheral device of the gaming machine. For example, theperipheral data packet may include a command for the display (e.g.display 208, 212 as illustrated in FIG. 2) to display a credit amountwhich can allow the user to play a game of chance on the gaming machine.In another embodiment, the peripheral data packet may include a commandfor the user input buttons and/or switches (e.g. input buttons and/orswitches 206 as illustrated in FIG. 2) to light up. In still anotherembodiment, the peripheral data packet may also include other data suchas a source address, destination address, and user identification datasuch as a portable electronic device identifier, user password, userPIN, and the like. The portable electronic device identifier may be anyset of words or numbers that are unique to the portable electronicdevice.

The peripheral management device may determine whether to transmit theperipheral data packet to at least one peripheral device of the gamingmachine at 604. The peripheral management device may parse theperipheral data packet to determine or identify which peripheraldevice(s) the peripheral data packet should be transmitted to. In oneembodiment, the peripheral management device may identify whichperipheral device the peripheral data packet should be transmitted to bythe destination address. In another embodiment, the peripheralmanagement device may identify which peripheral device the peripheraldata packet should be transmitted to by the command. For example, thecommand may be to indicate the amount of credits. Thus, the peripheralmanagement device may determine that the amount of credits is to bedisplayed on the display of the gaming machine.

If the peripheral management device determines that the peripheral datapacket should be transmitted to the peripheral device at 604, aninstructional data packet may be generated for the at least oneperipheral device of the gaming machine at 616. The instructional datapacket may include the at least one command and/or acknowledgement fromthe gaming machine. In one embodiment, the instructional data packet mayalso include other data such as a source address, destination address,and any other identifying information such as a gaming machineidentifier to identify the gaming machine.

The instructional data packet may be transmitted to the at least oneperipheral device at 618. The peripheral management device may transmitthe instructional data packet to the identified at least one peripheraldevices. The peripheral management device may determine which of the atleast one peripheral devices to transmit the instructional data packetto via the destination address, command, or any other identifyingcriteria in the peripheral data packet.

The peripheral management device may then determine whether to transmitthe instructional data packet to at least one virtual peripheral deviceon a portable electronic device at 620. For example, if the peripheraldata packet included an acknowledgement for the receipt of fundsreceived by the player, the peripheral management device may determinethat the acknowledgement should be transmitted to the virtual display ofthe portable electronic device to inform the player that the transfer offunds (as discussed with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11A-11D) wassuccessful. In another example, if the peripheral management devicedetermines that the peripheral data packet included a command for theuser input buttons and/or switches to light up, the peripheralmanagement device may determine not to transmit the instructional datapacket to the portable electronic device at 620. In still anotherexample, if the peripheral management device determines that theperipheral data packet included a command for the user input buttonsand/or switches to light up, the peripheral management device maydetermine to still transmit the instructional data packet to the virtualuser buttons or switches on the portable electronic device at 620.

If the peripheral management device determines not to transmit theperipheral data packet to at least one peripheral device of the gamingmachine at 604, an instructional data packet may be generated for atleast one virtual peripheral device on the portable electronic device at608. The instructional data packet may include the at least one commandand/or acknowledgement from the gaming machine. In one embodiment, theinstructional data packet may also include other data such as a sourceaddress (e.g. gaming machine, peripheral management device, and thelike), destination address (e.g. portable electronic device), and useridentification data such as a portable electronic device identifier,user password, user PIN, and the like. The portable electronic deviceidentifier may be any set of words or numbers that are unique to theportable electronic device.

The instructional data packet may be encrypted at 610. The instructionaldata packet may be generated at 608 and/or 616. The instructional datapacket may be encrypted using any known encryption method such asAdvanced Encryption Standard (AES), Message Authentication Code (MAC),Hash based Message Authentication Code (HMAC), SHA-2, and the like.

The portable electronic device may then be authenticated at 612 toensure that the instructional data packet is transmitted to the properportable electronic device. Any known authentication methods may be usedsuch as authentication algorithms, random number generators,authentication keys, and the like. In one embodiment, the peripheralmanagement device may request user information (e.g. portable electronicdevice identifier, password, PIN, and the like) from the portableelectronic device. The peripheral management device may thenauthenticate the portable electronic device by comparing or matching therequested user information with user information in the peripheral datapacket. The portable electronic device may be authenticated if therequested user information matches the user information in theperipheral data packet. Once authenticated, the encrypted instructionaldata packet may be transmitted to the authenticated portable electronicdevice at 614 via any known wired or wireless methods or devices such asa universal serial bus, Ethernet, SATA, Fire Wire, 3G wirelesstechnology, 4G wireless technology, Bluetooth, wireless USB, wirelessUWB, WiMAX, near field communication, radio frequency, and the like.

FIGS. 7A-7J illustrate example graphical user interfaces of a portableelectronic device used to communicate with a gaming machine. FIG. 7Aillustrates one embodiment of the graphical user interface of theportable electronic device 700. The portable electronic device 700 maybe configured to display at least one indicator 750 on a display 701 ofthe portable electronic device 700. The indicators 705 may be any typeof indicator configured to receive a user input command. Additionally,the display may be any type of known display such as a touch screendisplay, LCD, plasma display, LED display, or any other monitor and/ordisplay configured to present information and/or allow the user to playa game of chance.

For example, if the user would like to look at a calendar, the user maypress the “Calendar” indicator 752. The portable electronic device 700may detect the user selection of the “Calendar” indicator 752 anddisplay a calendar on the display 701. In another example, the user maywant to access the Internet. Thus, the user may press the “Web”indicator 754. The portable electronic device 700 may detect the userselection of the “Web” indicator 754 and display a search engine on thedisplay 701. In still another example, the player may want to play agame of chance on a gaming machine. Thus, the user may press the“Connect To Gaming Machine” indicator 766. The portable electronicdevice 700 may detect the user selection of the “Connect To GamingMachine” indicator 766 and display a game menu as illustrated in FIG.7J.

FIG. 7B illustrates another embodiment of the graphical user interfaceof the portable electronic device 700. If display 701 is not a touchscreen display, at least one user input buttons or switches 705 may beused to navigate the graphical user interface. For example, a user mayselect or navigate the at least one of the indicators by using the atleast one user input buttons or switches 705 to move a cursor (or anyother similar type of indicator) right, left, up, or down on thedisplay. However, the use of the illustrated user input buttons orswitches 705 is for exemplary purposes and not intended to be limitingas any type of device to navigate a graphical user interface may be usedsuch as a keyboard, joystick, and the like.

FIG. 7C illustrates one example of the graphical user interfacepresenting a welcome screen. The welcome screen 707 may display any typeof welcome message (e.g. using text, images, designs, audio, and thelike) to the user. This provides for a friendly and welcoming gamingenvironment for the players. The display 701 may also present a“Returning User” 708 indicator and a “New User” indicator 710. Thus, ifthe user has an existing player tracking account with the casino, thenthe “Returning User” indicator 708 may be selected. If the user does nothave an existing account with the casino then the “New User” indicator710 may be selected. If the “Returning User” indicator 708 is selected,then the graphical user interface may be updated to present a returninguser login screen as illustrated in FIG. 7D. Alternatively, if the “NewUser” indicator 710 is selected, then the graphical user interface maybe updated to present an account set up screen as illustrated in FIG.7G.

Referring now to FIG. 7D, if the user is a returning user that has anexisting player tracking account with the casino and the portableelectronic device 700 detected that the “Returning User” indicator 708was selected, the graphical user interface may be updated to present alogin screen on the display 701. In one embodiment, the login screen maybe configured to display one or more user-enterable fields. By way ofexample, the one or more user-enterable fields may include a user ID box714 and a password box 716. A keyboard 718 may also be presented on thedisplay 701. The keyboard 718 may be configured to assist the user withinputting a unique username in the user ID box 714 and a password in thepassword box 716. As illustrated, the unique username 715 illustrated inFIG. 7D is “Will_Gamble” 715. Additionally, although the password 717 isillustrated as not displayed, this is not intended to be limiting as thepassword may be displayed to the user.

After the user ID box 714 and the password box 716 have both received ausername 715 and password 717, respectively, the user may select toconfirm or enter the username 715 and password 717 by pressing the“Enter” indicator 720 or cancel the entered username 715 and password717 by pressing the “Cancel” indicator 722. By pressing the “Cancel”indicator 722, the portable electronic device 700 may remove thecontents of the user-enterable fields. In other words, pressing the“Cancel” indicator 722 may result in the removal of the username 715 inthe user ID box 714 and password 717 in the password box 716.

By pressing the “Enter” indicator 720, the user's password and ID may betransmitted from the portable electronic device 700 to the peripheralmanagement device (e.g. peripheral management device 110 (FIG. 1), 304(FIG. 3), 400 (FIG. 4)) for processing. Once transmitted to theperipheral management device, the display 701 may indicate to the userthat the user identification and password is being authenticated asillustrated in FIG. 7E. For example, the portable electronic device 700may display an “Authenticating Your User ID and Password” message 738 onthe display 701.

Referring to FIG. 7F, if the user's password and ID are authenticated(as described in detail with reference to FIG. 8), the portableelectronic device may display a successful message on the display 701.As illustrated, a message 742 such as “Welcome Will_Gamble! Your User IDand Password Have Been Verified” 742 may be displayed on display 701.

If the user does not have an existing account at the gamingestablishment, the user may be prompted to set up an account. FIG. 7Gillustrates one example of the graphical user interface of an accountsetup screen 724. The account setup screen may be configured to displayone or more user-enterable fields 726, 728. By way of example, theaccount setup screen 724 may have a user ID box 726 and a password box728 for the user to input personal information to set up a playertracking account. The graphical user interface may also present analphabetical/numerical keyboard 730 configured to assist a user to inputa unique ID or username in the user ID box 726 and a password in thepassword box 728. As illustrated, the unique username 727 is“Will_Gamble” 715.

After the user ID box 726 and the password box 728 have both received anID or username 727 and password 729, respectively, the user may selectto confirm or enter the username 727 and password 729 by pressing the“Enter” indicator 732 or cancel the entered username 727 and password729 by pressing the “Cancel” indicator 734. By pressing the “Cancel”indicator 734, the portable electronic device 700 may remove thecontents of the user-enterable fields. In other words, pressing the“Cancel” indicator 734 may result in the removal of the username 727 inthe user ID box 726 and password 729 in the password box 728.

By pressing the “Enter” indicator 732, the user's password 729 and ID orusername 727 may be transmitted from the portable electronic device 700to the peripheral management device (e.g. peripheral management device110 (FIG. 1), 304 (FIG. 3), 400 (FIG. 4)) for processing. Once a playertracking account has been created for the user, the portable electronicdevice 700 may present a successful message to the user as illustratedin FIG. 7H. The portable electronic device 700 may present a message,for example, “Welcome Will_Gamble! Your Account Has Been Created!” 782.Although not illustrated, it will now be known that any other personaluser information may be requested to create a player tracking accountsuch as address, phone number, electronic mail address, emergencycontact information, driver's license number, and the like.

FIG. 7I illustrates an example graphical user interface displaying acasino menu. The casino menu may be presented on the display 701 aftersuccessful authentication of the user and/or successful creation of aplayer tracking account. The display 701 may present a plurality ofindicators 784. In one embodiment, each indicator may represent aservice provided by the gaming establishment (e.g. a casino), such asreserving a room 764, playing in a tournament 770, restaurantreservations 768, and the like. In another embodiment, at least oneindicator may connect the portable electronic device to a gaming machine766 if the player would like to play a game of chance. In still anotherembodiment, the user may access his player tracking account by pressingthe “Account” indicator 774. Although illustrated with specificindicators, this is for exemplary purposes only as other gamingestablishment functions may be presented.

FIG. 7J illustrates an example graphical user interface displaying agaming menu. If the user selects the “Connect To Gaming Machine”indicator 766 illustrated in FIG. 7I, the portable electronic device 700may display a gaming menu 756. The gaming menu may have a plurality ofgaming function indicators. As illustrated, the gaming functionindicators may represent virtual user input buttons for a videoblackjack game of chance. For example, the indicators may be “Stand”790, “Hit” 792, “Double Down” 794, “Deal” 796, and the like. Eachvirtual user input button may be associated with or correspond to aperipheral device on the gaming machine. For example, the “Stand”indicator 790 may correspond to a virtual stand button on the portableelectronic device 700, which in turn corresponds to the stand button onthe gaming machine (not shown). Thus, if the user would like to stand ona dealt hand, the user may depress the “Stand” indicator 790 on theportable electronic device 700.

The indicators may also relate to other gaming functions. For example, auser may decrease or increase the volume on a gaming machine by pressingthe “Speaker” indicator 758. In another embodiment, the user may adjustthe brightness of the display by pressing the “Display” indicator 760.If the user would like to increase his bet, he may press the “IncreaseBet” indicator 764. Although illustrated with specific indicators, thisis for exemplary purposes only as other game play functions may bepresented such as spinning a reel, decrease bet, and the like.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for authenticating a userin accordance with one embodiment. The method 800 begins with theperipheral management device receiving a user request to access a gamingmachine from a portable electronic device at 802. In one embodiment, theuser request may include a username, password, and request to play agame of chance on the gaming machine. The gaming machine may beidentified by any known methods such as infrared, unique gaming machineidentification, bar code on the gaming machine, location information forthe gaming machine, and the like. For example, the user may manuallyinput the unique gaming machine identification in the portableelectronic device, which may then be transmitted with the user request.In another embodiment, the user may scan a bar code on the gamingmachine into the portable electronic device, which may be transmittedwith the user request.

The peripheral management device may process the user request at 803. Toprocess the user request, in one embodiment, the peripheral managementdevice may parse the information in the user request such as theusername, password, gaming machine identifier, and access request todetermine that the user request needs to be authenticated. Theperipheral management device may also change the source and destinationaddress of the user request. For example, the source address may bechanged to the peripheral device associated with the virtual peripheraldevice and the destination address may be the gaming machine processor.In other words, the peripheral management device may associate the userrequest with the virtual player tracking device, which may correspond toor be associated with the player tracking device on the gaming machine.

The peripheral management device may then transmit an authenticationrequest to the gaming machine processor at 804. The authenticationrequest may include a request to authenticate the player and include theusername and password received from the portable electronic device.Additionally, since the source address may be changed, the gamingmachine processor may believe that the request was transmitted from aperipheral device on the gaming machine and not from the peripheralmanagement device or portable electronic device. Continuing with theexample above, the gaming machine may believe that the authenticationrequest resulted from player input at the player tracking device—i.e.that the player input the username and password using a keypad (e.g.keypad 218 as illustrated in FIG. 2) on the player tracking device.Thus, the gaming machine would not suspect that the user requested wastransmitted from the portable electronic device.

The gaming machine processor may then transmit the username and passwordto the authentication server (e.g. authentication server 116 illustratedin FIG. 1) at 808. However, it will now be known that any serverconfigured to authenticate and/or verify a user may be used, such as theplayer tracking server (e.g. player tracking server 102 illustrated inFIG. 1).

The authentication server may compare the received username and passwordto a previously submitted and/or saved username and password stored in adatabase of the authentication server at 808. If there is no match at810, the authentication server may transmit an error message to thegaming machine processor at 814. If there is a match at 810, theauthentication server may transmit a successful message to the gamingmachine processor at 812. Although username and password credentials areillustrated in the authentication process, any other type of credentialsor criteria maybe used. For example, biometrics such as facial features,fingerprints, voice prints, and the like, may be used.

In one embodiment, the gaming machine processor may transmit thesuccessful message to a display on the gaming machine (e.g. display 208,212 illustrated in FIG. 2) at 816. In another embodiment, the gamingmachine processor may transmit the successful message to a display onthe player tracking device (e.g. player tracking device 220 asillustrated in FIG. 2). Thus, the display used to inform the user thatthe authentication was successful is not intended to be limiting as anyknown means to transmit the information to the player may be used. Theperipheral management device may intercept the successful message at 818and transmit the successful message to the portable electronic device at820. The successful message may be similar to the example graphical userinterface illustrated in FIG. 7F.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method forcommunicating at least one user request to a gaming machine using aperipheral management device. The method 900 may begin by receiving, ator by the portable electronic device, a user request to access at leastone virtual peripheral device at 902. The portable electronic device maygenerate the user request based upon user selection of an indicator. Theindicators may be similar to, for example, the indicators illustrated inFIG. 7J. For example, the indicators may be a request to spin a reel,bet the minimum bet, decrease the volume in the speaker, dim thedisplay, and the like.

The user request may then be transmitted from the portable electronicdevice to a peripheral management device at 904. The user request may betransmitted by any know wired or wireless means such as universal serialbus, Ethernet, SATA, Fire Wire, 3G wires technology, 4G wirelesstechnology, Fire Wire, Bluetooth, wireless USB, wireless UWB, WiMAX,near field communication, radio frequency, and the like. The peripheralmanagement device may process the user request at 906. In other words,the peripheral management device may parse the user request to determinewhat peripheral device on the gaming machine the user would like toaccess. Each virtual peripheral device on the portable electronic devicemay be associated with a peripheral device on the gaming machine. Thus,for example, if the user request includes a request to dim a virtualdisplay, the peripheral management device may determine that the virtualdisplay is associated with the display (e.g. display 208 as illustratedin FIG. 2) on the gaming machine. As such, the user request may beprocessed to request access to the display on the gaming machine. Inanother example, the peripheral management device may parse the userrequest to determine that the user would like to lower the volume on thevirtual speakers. The peripheral management device may determine thatthe virtual speakers are associated with the speaker (e.g. speaker 214illustrated in FIG. 2) on the gaming machine. Thus, the user request maybe processed to request access to the speaker on the gaming machine. Instill another example, the peripheral management device may parse theuser request to determine that the user would like stop playing the gameof chance and selected the “Cash Out” indicator (e.g. “Cash Out”indicator 788). Thus, the peripheral management device may associate thevirtual “Cash Out” indicator with the cash out button (e.g. button 206illustrated in FIG. 2) of the gaming machine and the user request may beprocessed to indicate the user would like to redeem the remainingcredits on the gaming machine.

The peripheral management device may also modify, change, or edit thesource and destination address of the user request. For example, thesource address may be changed to the peripheral device associated withthe virtual peripheral device and the destination address may be thegaming machine processor. In other words, the peripheral managementdevice may associate the user request with the virtual cash out button(i.e. “Cash Out” indicator 788 as illustrated in FIG. 7I), which maycorrespond to or be associated with the cash out button (e.g. buttons206 as illustrated in FIG. 2) on the gaming machine.

Once the user request is processed at 906, the peripheral managementdevice may transmit the processed user request to the gaming machineprocessor at 908. The gaming machine processor may process the userrequest at 910 to generate a command and/or acknowledgement. Forexample, if the user request included a request to dim the display, thegaming machine processor may process the processed user request toinclude a dim command to be transmitted to the display. In anotherexample, if the user request included a request to lower the volume, thegaming machine processor may transmit the user request to include volumecommand to be transmitted to the speakers on the gaming machine. Instill another example, if the user request included a request to cashout, the gaming machine processor may transmit a print ticket command tobe transmitted to the printer.

The command and/or acknowledgment may be transmitted to thecorresponding peripheral device via the peripheral management device at912. For example, the print ticket command may be transmitted from thegaming machine processor to the printer on the gaming machine. Inanother example, the volume command may be transmitted from the gamingmachine processor to the speaker on the gaming machine.

Example 1

The following examples are intended to be for exemplary purposes onlyand not intended to be limiting as many other possibilities and uses arepossible and contemplated.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method to transferfunds to a gaming machine from a portable electronic device. The method1000 may begin by the portable electronic device receiving at least onefunds transfer request to transfer funds at 1002. The at least one fundstransfer request may be requested by a user to permit the user to play agame of chance on a gaming machine. In one embodiment, the at least onefunds transfer request may be physically initiated by the user pressinga “Funds Transfer” indicator (e.g. “Funds Transfer” indicator 780illustrated in FIG. 7J) presented on a display of the portableelectronic device. In another embodiment, the at least one fundstransfer request may be an audio command. The audio command may be anyaudio command received and recognizable by the portable electronicdevice as an instruction or command to transfer funds. For example, theaudio command may include words such as “money transfer”, “fundstransfer”, “cash in”, and the like.

The funds transfer request may be transmitted from the portableelectronic device to the peripheral controller (e.g. peripheralcontroller 402 illustrated in FIG. 4) at 1004. In one embodiment, thefunds transfer request may be encrypted by the portable electronicdevice prior to being transferred. Any known encryption methods may beused such as AES, MAC, HMAC, SHA-2 and the like. The funds transferrequest may include any necessary information or data to facilitate thetransfer of funds, such as a portable electronic device identifier,destination address (e.g. which gaming machine to transfer the fundsto), amount of funds to be transferred, and the like.

The peripheral controller may process the at least one funds transferrequest at 1006. The peripheral controller may process the at least onefunds transfer request by parsing the information in the funds transferrequest to determine which peripheral device, on the gaming machine, theuser would like to access. Each virtual peripheral device on theportable electronic device may be associated with a peripheral device onthe gaming machine. Thus, the peripheral controller may determine thatthe user would like to transfer a specific amount of funds to the gamingmachine via the virtual bill acceptor, which may be associated with thebill acceptor on the gaming machine. The user request may then beprocessed as a request for the bill acceptor on the gaming machine.Additionally, processing the at least one funds transfer request mayinclude modifying the funds transfer request to reflect the propersource address and destination address. For example, the funds transferrequest may be modified to reflect the source address as the billacceptor and the destination address as the gaming machine processor.This permits for the seamless transfer of information or data to thegaming machine processor from the portable electronic device. In otherwords, peripheral management device is invisible to the gaming machineprocessor.

The processed funds transfer request may then be transmitted to thegaming machine processor (e.g. gaming machine processor 302 asillustrated in FIG. 3) at 1008 for the gaming machine processor toprocess at 1010. For example, the gaming machine processor may determinethat the user transferred the fund amount to play a game of chance whichwas received by the bill acceptor. The gaming machine processor may thentransmit commands and/or acknowledgements to at least one peripheraldevice of the gaming machine at 1012 to allow the user to play the gameof chance. For example, the gaming machine may transmit a command to thedisplay to present the fund amount on the display. In another example,the gaming machine may transmit an acknowledgment to the bill acceptorto display an acknowledgement message or fund amount on a display of thebill acceptor. In another embodiment, the gaming machine may instructthe user input buttons or switches to activate and light up to indicatethat the player may begin to play the game of chance.

The peripheral controller may intercept the commands and/oracknowledgments at 1014 and process the intercepted commands and/oracknowledgments at 1016. The peripheral controller may process theintercepted commands and/or acknowledgements by parsing the commandsand/or acknowledgement to determine where the commands and/oracknowledgments should be transmitted to. In other words, the peripheralcontroller may process the intercepted commands and/or acknowledgementsto determine which virtual peripheral device on the portable electronicdevice the commands and/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to andto determine which peripheral device on the gaming machine the commandsand/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to.

If the peripheral controller determines that the commands and/oracknowledgements should be transmitted to the portable electronic deviceat 1018, then the commands and/or acknowledgements may be transmitted tothe portable electronic device at 1020. For example, if the transmissionis an acknowledgement acknowledging the transfer of funds, theperipheral controller may determine that the acknowledgement may betransmitted to the portable electronic device to inform the user of thesuccessful transfer of funds. The acknowledgement may then be displayedon a display of the portable electronic device (e.g. display 1102 asillustrated in FIGS. 11A-11D).

If the peripheral controller determines that the commands and/oracknowledgements should not be transmitted to the portable electronicdevice at 1018 or subsequent to the transmission of the commands and/oracknowledgements to the portable electronic device at 1020, theperipheral controller may determine and identify whether the commandsand/or acknowledgements may be transmitted to the at least oneperipheral device on the gaming machine at 1022. For example, if thetransmission is an acknowledgement acknowledging the transfer of funds,the peripheral controller may determine that the acknowledgement may betransmitted to the user input buttons and/or switches. The user inputbuttons and/or switches may then light up to indicate to the player thathe may play the game of chance. In another example, the peripheralcontroller may determine that the acknowledgement may be transmitted tothe display of the gaming machine to indicate or display the amount ofcredits. Thus, if the peripheral controller determines and identifiesthat the commands and/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to atleast one peripheral device on the gaming machine at 1022, the commandsand/or acknowledgements may be transmitted to the identified at leastone peripheral device on the gaming machine at 1024.

FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate example graphical user interfaces of a portableelectronic device. FIG. 11A illustrates one example graphical userinterface presenting gaming functions to play video black jack. Thegraphical user interface may have a plurality of indicators 1154presented on a display 1102 of the portable electronic device 1100. Eachplurality of indicator 1154 may represent any gaming function such as“Hit” 1150, “Stand” 1152, “Min. Bet” 1156, and the like. Althoughillustrated with specific game play functions, this is not intended tobe limiting as any type of gaming function to play a game of chance onthe gaming machine may be represented such as a “Play Bonus” indicator,“Spin Wheel” indicator, and the like. Each indicator may represent avirtual peripheral device that is associated with and/or correspondingto at least one peripheral device of the gaming machine. For example,the “Hit” indicator 1156 may be associated with a virtual “hit” button,which may be associated with a “Hit” button on the gaming machine. Inanother embodiment, the “Transfer Funds” indicator 1160 may correspondto a virtual bill acceptor, which may be associated with the billacceptor on the gaming machine.

If the portable electronic device 1100 detects a user-selection of the“Transfer Funds” indicator, a funds transfer screen may be displayed onthe display 1101 of the portable electronic device 1100 as illustratedin FIG. 11B. The portable electronic device 1100 may display auser-enterable field 1100 on display 1108. The user-enterable field 1100may prompt the user to enter a fund amount, credit amount, or any otherinformation necessary to complete a transfer of funds to the gamingmachine. For example, the fund amount may be a specific monetary amount,such as “100.00” as illustrated in FIG. 11B. In another example, theuser may enter a credit amount, such as credit accumulated in his playertracking account. The user-enterable field 1100 may be populated using anumerical keypad 1112, joystick, or any other user-input buttons orswitches.

In one embodiment, the user may obtain funds from a third party serverusing the portable electronic device 1100 prior to selection of the“Transfer Funds” indicator. For example, the user may request an advanceof funds from a credit card server. In another embodiment, the user mayrequest a debit from a bank account server. Any known methods to obtainfunds are contemplated and may be used to obtain funds to play the gameof chance on the gaming machine.

In one example, the user may confirm the amount inputted in theuser-enterable field 1110 by selecting a “Confirm” indicator 1114. Inanother example, the user may cancel the selection by selecting the“Cancel” indicator 1116. Selecting the “Cancel” indicator 1116 mayresult in removal of the amounts entered in the user-selectable field1110. On the other hand, selection of the “Confirm” indicator 1114 mayresult in the generation of a funds transfer request by the portableelectronic device.

FIG. 11C illustrates an example graphical user interface indicating thatthe funds transfer request is processed and transmitted to the gamingmachine. In one embodiment, as illustrated, a “Sending Your User RequestTo The Gaming Machine” message may be displayed on the display 1108 ofthe portable electronic device 1100 to inform the user of thetransmission. The funds transfer request may include any information andrequests to facilitate transfer of funds to the gaming machine. Forexample, the funds transfer request may include a unique useridentification (ID), password, fund amount, funding source such as bankrouting and checking account number and/or player tracking accountnumber, and any other information or data necessary to facilitate thetransfer of funds. In another embodiment, the funds transfer request mayinclude location information of the portable electronic device (e.g.obtained from location server 104 illustrated in FIG. 1), locationinformation of the gaming device (e.g. obtained from location server 104illustrated in FIG. 1), time stamp data, and any other data orinformation that may be used to authenticate and/or verify the portableelectronic device and the gaming device to ensure that the funds aretransferred to the proper gaming device.

FIG. 11D illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface representingcompletion of the funds transfer. Upon receipt of the funds transferrequest received from the portable electronic, the peripheral managementdevice may process the funds transfer request. In other words, theperipheral management device may parse the funds transfer request todetermine at least one of (i) the fund amount; (ii) the source of thefunds; (iii) unique user ID and password; (iv) sufficient funds totransfer the fund amount; (v) gaming machine to transfer funds to, andany other necessary information to facilitate the transfer of funds tothe gaming machine.

The peripheral controller may also process the at least one fundstransfer request by parsing the information in the funds transferrequest to determine which peripheral device, on the gaming machine, theuser would like to access. Each virtual peripheral device on theportable electronic device may be associated with a peripheral device onthe gaming machine. Thus, the peripheral controller may determine thatthe user would like to transfer a specific amount of funds to the gamingmachine via the virtual bill acceptor, which may be associated with thebill acceptor on the gaming machine. The user request may then beprocessed as a request for the bill acceptor on the gaming machine.Additionally, processing the at least one funds transfer request mayinclude modifying the funds transfer request to reflect the propersource address and destination address. For example, the funds transferrequest may be modified to reflect the source address as the billacceptor and the destination address as the gaming machine processor.This permits for the seamless transfer of information or data to thegaming machine processor from the portable electronic device. In otherwords, peripheral management device may be invisible to the gamingmachine processor.

The processed funds transfer request may then be transmitted to thegaming machine processor (e.g. gaming machine processor 302 asillustrated in FIG. 3) for the gaming machine processor to process. Forexample, the gaming machine processor may determine that the usertransferred the fund amount to play a game of chance which was receivedby the bill acceptor. The gaming machine processor may then transmitcommands and/or acknowledgements to at least one peripheral device ofthe gaming machine to allow the user to play the game of chance. Forexample, the gaming machine may transmit a command to the display topresent the fund amount on the display. In another example, the gamingmachine may transmit an acknowledgment to the bill acceptor to displayan acknowledgement message or fund amount on a display of the billacceptor. In another embodiment, the gaming machine may instruct theuser input buttons or switches to activate and light up to indicate thatthe player may begin to play the game of chance.

The peripheral controller may intercept the commands and/oracknowledgments and process the intercepted commands and/oracknowledgments. The peripheral controller may process the interceptedcommands and/or acknowledgements by parsing the commands and/oracknowledgement to determine where the commands and/or acknowledgmentsshould be transmitted to. In other words, the peripheral controller mayprocess the intercepted commands and/or acknowledgements to determinewhich virtual peripheral device on the portable electronic device thecommands and/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to and todetermine which peripheral device on the gaming machine the commandsand/or acknowledgements should be transmitted to.

For example, if the transmission is an acknowledgement acknowledging thetransfer of funds, the peripheral controller may determine that theacknowledgement may be transmitted to the portable electronic device toinform the user of the successful transfer of funds. The acknowledgementmay then be displayed on a display of the portable electronic device asillustrated in FIG. 11D.

In one example, the portable electronic device 1100 may present asuccessful message such as “Congratulations: You have successfullytransferred $100.00”. Optionally, the user may be able to print areceipt recoding the transfer of funds. For example, the user may selectthe “Print Receipt” indicator 1118 to create a virtual receipt. Theportable electronic device 1100 may then display the virtual receipt(not shown) on the display 1108 and digitally store the virtual receiptin a memory of the portable electronic device 1100.

Example 2

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method to generate areceipt using a portable electronic device. The method 1200 may begin bythe portable electronic device receiving a print ticket request to printa ticket at 1202 by the user. For example, the player may have completeda game of chance on the gaming machine and may want to cash out theremaining credits. In one embodiment, the print ticket request may bephysically initiated by the user pressing a “Cash Out” indicator (e.g.,“Cash Out” indicator 788 illustrated in FIG. 7J) presented on a displayof the portable electronic device. In another embodiment, the printticket request may be an audio command. The audio command may be anyaudio command received and recognizable by the portable electronicdevice as an instruction or command to print a ticket. For example, theaudio command may include words such as “end game”, “print receipt”,“cash out”, and the like.

The print ticket request may be transmitted from the portable electronicdevice to a peripheral controller (e.g. peripheral controller 402illustrated in FIG. 4) at 1204. In one embodiment, the print ticketrequest may be encrypted by the portable electronic device prior tobeing transferred. Any known encryption methods may be used such as AES,MAC, HMAC, SHA-2 and the like. The print ticket request may include anynecessary information or data to facilitate the printing of a ticket,such as a portable electronic device identifier, destination address(e.g. which gaming machine to cash out of), physical location of thegaming machine, and the like.

The peripheral controller may process the print ticket request at 1206.The peripheral controller may process the print ticket request byparsing the information in the print ticket request to determine whichperipheral device is associated with the print ticket request. Eachvirtual peripheral device on the portable electronic device may beassociated with a peripheral device on the gaming machine. Thus, theperipheral controller may determine that the user would like to cash outof the gaming machine by detecting an input from the “Cash Out”indicator. The “Cash Out” indicator may be associated with the “CashOut” button or switch on the gaming machine. Additionally, theperipheral controller may process the print ticket request by modifyingthe print ticket request to reflect the proper source address anddestination address. For example, the print ticket request may bemodified to reflect the source address as the cash out button and thedestination address as the gaming machine processor. This permits forthe seamless transfer of information or data to the gaming machineprocessor from the portable electronic device. In other words,peripheral management device is invisible to the gaming machine.

The processed print ticket request may then be transmitted to the gamingmachine processor (e.g. gaming machine processor 302 as illustrated inFIG. 3) at 1208 for a gaming machine processor to process at 1210. Forexample, from the source address, the gaming machine processor maydetermine that the user pressed the “Cash Out” button on the gamingmachine. The gaming machine processor may then transmit a print commandto the printer to print an electronic ticket at 1212.

The peripheral controller may intercept the print command at 1214 andprocess the print command at 1216. The peripheral controller may processthe print command by parsing the command to determine where the commandit should be transmitted to. In other words, the peripheral controllermay process the print command to determine which virtual peripheraldevice on the portable electronic device the command should betransmitted to and to determine which peripheral device on the gamingmachine the command should be transmitted to. This determination may bebased upon the destination address of the print command, the commanditself, or any other identifying criteria. For example, the peripheralcontroller may determine that a print command should be transmitted to aprinter and not a display. In another example, the destination addressof the print command may be the printer on the gaming machine.

If the peripheral controller determines that the command should betransmitted to the portable electronic device at 1218, then the commandmay be transmitted to the portable electronic device at 1220. Forexample, the peripheral controller may determine that the print commandcan be transmitted to a virtual printer of the portable electronicdevice to print a virtual ticket on the portable electronic device.Thus, the print command may be transmitted to the virtual printer of theportable electronic device at 1220.

Alternatively, the peripheral controller may determine that the ticketshould be printed on the printer of the gaming machine and determine notto transmit the print command to the portable electronic device at 1218.The peripheral controller may then transmit the print command to theprinter of the gaming machine at 1224.

FIGS. 13A-13D illustrate example graphical user interfaces to generate areceipt using a portable electronic device. Referring to FIG. 13A, theportable electronic device 1300 may receive a print ticket request toprint a ticket by the user. For example, the player may have completed agame of chance on the gaming machine and may want to cash out theremaining credits. In one embodiment, the print ticket request may bephysically initiated by the user pressing a “Cash Out” indicator 1304presented on a display 1302 of the portable electronic device 1300. Inanother embodiment, the print ticket request may be an audio command.The audio command may be any audio command received and recognizable bythe portable electronic device 1300 as an instruction or command toprint a ticket. For example, the audio command may include words such as“end game”, “print receipt”, “cash out”, and the like.

The portable electronic device 1300 may display a confirmation requestto the user as illustrated in FIG. 13B. The user may be prompted toconfirm the print ticket request by sending a confirmation message suchas “Would You Like To Cash Out?” 1306. The user may confirm the requestby selecting to “Yes” indicator 1308 or cancel the request by selectingthe “No” indicator 1310.

If the user confirms the request by selecting the “Yes” indicator 1308,a confirmation of transfer of the print request may be displayed asillustrated in FIG. 13C. For example, a message such as “Sending YourUser Request To The Gaming Machine” message may be displayed on thedisplay 1302 of the portable electronic device 1300 to inform the userof the transmission.

The print ticket request may be transmitted from the portable electronicdevice 1300 to a peripheral controller (e.g. peripheral controller 402illustrated in FIG. 4). In one embodiment, the print ticket request maybe encrypted by the portable electronic device 1300 prior to beingtransferred. Any known encryption methods may be used such as AES, MAC,HMAC, SHA-2 and the like. The print ticket request may include anynecessary information or data to facilitate the printing of a ticket,such as a portable electronic device identifier, destination address(e.g. which gaming machine to cash out of), physical location of thegaming machine, and the like.

The peripheral controller may process the print ticket request byparsing the information in the print ticket request to determine whichperipheral device is associated with the print ticket request. Eachvirtual peripheral device on the portable electronic device may beassociated with a peripheral device on the gaming machine. Thus, theperipheral controller may determine that the user would like to cash outof the gaming machine by detecting an input from the “Cash Out”indicator 1304. The “Cash Out” indicator 1304 may be associated with a“Cash Out” button or switch on the gaming machine. Additionally, theperipheral controller may process the print ticket request by modifyingthe print ticket request to reflect the proper source address anddestination address. For example, the print ticket request may bemodified to reflect the source address as the cash out button and thedestination address as the gaming machine processor. This permits forthe seamless transfer of information or data to the gaming machineprocessor from the portable electronic device. In other words,peripheral management device is invisible to the gaming machine.

The processed print ticket request may then be transmitted to the gamingmachine processor (e.g. gaming machine processor 302 as illustrated inFIG. 3) for the gaming machine processor to process. For example, fromthe source address, the gaming machine processor may determine that theuser pressed the “Cash Out” button on the gaming machine. The gamingmachine processor may then transmit a print command to the printer toprint an electronic ticket.

The peripheral controller may intercept the print command and processthe print command. The peripheral controller may process the printcommand by parsing the command to determine where the command it shouldbe transmitted to. In other words, the peripheral controller may processthe print command to determine which virtual peripheral device on theportable electronic device the command should be transmitted to and todetermine which peripheral device on the gaming machine the commandshould be transmitted to. In one embodiment, the peripheral controllermay determine that the original print ticket request was generated atthe portable electronic device 1300 and the command should therefore betransferred to the portable electronic device 1300. In anotherembodiment, the peripheral controller may determine that it is incommunication with the portable electronic device 1300 and automaticallytransmit the command to the portable electronic device 1300. The printcommand may be transmitted to a virtual printer of the portableelectronic device to print a virtual ticket on the portable electronicdevice as illustrated in FIG. 13D. In one embodiment, the virtual ticket1320 may be presented on the display 1302. In another embodiment, thevirtual ticket may be saved in a memory on the portable electronicdevice 1300 by pressing the “Save” indicator 1324.

Additional details on peripheral devices for gaming machines areprovided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/945,888, entitled“MULTI-FUNCTION PERIPHERAL DEVICE,” filed Nov. 14, 2010, and herebyincorporated herein by reference.

While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentionedabove are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for communicating information between agaming machine and a portable electronic device, the gaming machineincluding at least one peripheral device and a peripheral controller,and the portable electronic device including at least one virtualperipheral device, comprising: receiving, at the portable electronicdevice by way of a user interface, at least one request to access the atleast one virtual peripheral device of the portable electronic device,the at least one virtual peripheral device of the portable electronicdevice having a counterpart peripheral device of the gaming machine;transmitting, from the portable electronic device, the at least onerequest to the peripheral controller; determining, at the peripheralcontroller, the counterpart peripheral device from the at least oneperipheral device of the gaming machine that corresponds to the at leastone virtual peripheral device of the portable electronic device based onthe at least one request; and processing, at the gaming machine, the atleast one request to access the at least one virtual peripheral deviceas if it were a request to access the counterpart peripheral device. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving, at theportable electronic device, an audio command to access the at least onevirtual peripheral device of the portable electronic device.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises: displaying at leastone virtual peripheral device indicator, the at least one virtualperipheral device indicator associated with one of the at least onevirtual peripheral device; and receiving a selection for at least one ofthe at least one virtual peripheral indicators displayed on the display,the selection having at least one of data input or user instructions toaccess at least one of the at least one peripheral devices on the gamingmachine corresponding to the associated virtual peripheral device. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting, from the portableelectronic device, at least one request comprises: encrypting the atleast one request; and transmitting the encrypted at least one requestvia a wireless communication module, wherein the wireless communicationmodule is configured to communicate with the peripheral controller. 5.The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one virtual peripheraldevice includes at least one of a virtual monetary acceptor or a virtualprinter.
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one virtualperipheral device includes at least one of a virtual monetary acceptor,a virtual player tracking device, a virtual button, and a virtual ticketprinter.
 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one virtualperipheral device includes at least one virtual monetary acceptor, andwherein the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the virtualmonetary acceptor includes a monetary acceptor.
 8. The method of claim3, wherein the at least one virtual peripheral device includes at leastone virtual printer, and wherein the at least one peripheral devicecorresponding to the virtual printer includes a printer.
 9. A system fora gaming environment in which gaming machines communicate with portableelectronic devices, each of the portable electronic devices including atleast one virtual peripheral device and a user interface, said systemcomprising: a gaming machine including at least one peripheral deviceand a peripheral controller, and the gaming machine being configured to:receive at least one request at the peripheral controller, the at leastone request being provided at a portable electronic device by way of auser interface thereof and wirelessly transmitted therefrom to thegaming machine, the at least one request requesting to access the atleast one virtual peripheral device of the portable electronic device,the at least one virtual peripheral device of the portable electronicdevice having a counterpart peripheral device of the gaming machine;determine, at the peripheral controller, the counterpart peripheraldevice from the at least one peripheral device of the gaming machinethat corresponds to the at least one virtual peripheral device of theportable electronic device based on the at least one request; andprocessing, at the gaming machine, the at least one request to accessthe at least one virtual peripheral device as if it were a request toaccess the counterpart peripheral device.
 10. A gaming system as recitedin claim 9, wherein the gaming machine is further configured to:evaluate whether the portable electronic device is substantiallyproximate to the gaming machine; and permit connection with the portableelectronic device if the portable electronic device is determined to besubstantially proximate to the gaming machine.
 11. A gaming system asrecited in claim 9, wherein the gaming machine is a slot machine.
 12. Agaming system as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one request isa funds transfer request is initiated via the user interface of theportable electronic device.
 13. A gaming system as recited in claim 12,wherein the funds transfer request is parsed to determine at least asource of funds, wherein the source of funds is at least one of cash, aplayer account, a credit card, a checking account, a virtual ticket, oran electronically-readable ticket, and wherein the gaming machineelectronically communicates with an authentication server toauthenticate the funds transfer request.
 14. A gaming system as recitedin claim 12, wherein the funds transfer request requests a transfer offunds to the gaming machine, and the funds transferred become availableas credits that are available for wagers on a game of chance provided bythe gaming machine.
 15. A gaming system as recited in claim 14, whereinthe at least one virtual peripheral device includes at least one virtualmonetary acceptor, and wherein the at least one peripheral devicecorresponding to the virtual monetary acceptor includes a monetaryacceptor.
 16. A gaming system as recited in claim 12, wherein the fundstransfer request requests a transfer of funds from the gaming machine tothe portable electronic device, and the funds transferred becomeavailable as credits that are available at the portable electronicdevice.
 17. A gaming system as recited in claim 9, wherein the portableelectronic device is a mobile phone.
 18. A gaming system as recited inclaim 17, wherein the gaming machine is a slot machine.
 19. A gamingsystem as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one virtualperipheral device includes at least one virtual cash out button, andwherein the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the virtualcash out button includes a cash out button on the gaming machine.
 20. Agaming system as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one virtualperipheral device is one of a monetary acceptor, a card reader, aprinter, or a barcode reader.